Running slims, improves the cardiovascular system, and controls blood pressure
Some believe that running is the most democratic of sports
because of its practicality. In general, with a pair of sneakers and
comfortable clothes, it is already possible to risk your first steps. Besides
being simple to start, running also offers several advantages for its
practitioners, both for physical and mental health.
Benefits of Running
- Increases cardiovascular capacity
- Lowers cholesterol levels
- Slims down
- Increases lower limb strength
- Improves cognitive ability
- Elevates physical disposition
- Reduces symptoms of depression and anxiety
- Improves blood circulation
- Improves mood
1. Slimming
According to Mario Sergio, yes, running helps you lose weight.
"Because it is a sport where we have to move our body through successive
jumps to move, needing to recruit many muscles, this generates a huge caloric
expenditure. Besides this, it is a predominantly aerobic sport, which in itself
already helps burn calories," he explains.
2. Strengthens the Heart
According to professor Leonardo Lima from Anhembi Morumbi
University, running training will promote, in the long run, an improvement in
the efficiency of the force of blood distribution to all tissues.
"There is an increase in cardiac muscle mass, an increase
in the left ventricle, an increase and efficiency of the mitochondria, and an
improvement in the inflow and outflow of blood to the pulmonary and circulatory
systems. In other words, the heart becomes stronger and more economical when
working during exercise and at rest," he explains.
Also, aerobic exercises like running "exercise not only the
body but also the heart (yes, it is a muscle)," explains physical educator
Henrique Azevedo. "These exercises are also known as cardiovascular, the
famous 'cardio.' Well exercised, the heart increases the blood flow to the
whole body, being able to pump more blood with fewer beats, becoming more
efficient," Azevedo adds.
3. Increases the Feeling of Well-Being
Leonardo explains that endorphin is a neurotransmitter, a
substance produced by the brain through the stimulus of aerobic physical
exercise, such as running, and that modulates pain and stress. "Its
release through running will propitiate the increase of physical and mental
disposition. Thus, it gives a feeling of well-being, relieves pain, improves
physical endurance and tolerance to physical effort, and improves mood,"
he comments.
4. Helps the Brain
Improved oxygenation, stimulation between nerve cells, and
neuromuscular conduction are some of the benefits of running. "Diseases
like dementia, multiple sclerosis, and Alzheimer's benefit from training in a
participatory manner in the clinical treatment of exercise in a non-drug way.
Running also promotes increased blood flow to the frontal lobe: the area is
associated with concentration and focus, which control decision making and the
way we manage our time," Leonardo explains.
5. Strengthens the Bones
Since running is an activity that generates an impact on our
bones and joints, it is known that this activity improves bone mass and,
consequently, there is an improvement in bone strength.
According to physical educator David Aizenas, "running is
very important for children, teenagers, adults, men, and women, but especially
for women. Women have a marked improvement when it comes to the post-menopausal
moment, a cycle in which there can be a deficit or weakness in the bones,"
he points out.
6. Tones the Muscles
"Running strengthens not only the lower limbs (legs and
glutes), but also the arms and core (center of the body, abdominal region),
giving the muscle resistance, burning fat, and helping in weight loss and
muscle definition (together with the proper diet)," explains Henrique.
Besides, the stimuli for muscle fiber activation and the
biological processes involved in running will promote mass muscle preservation
and even increase it, but preserving mainly strength. "In this sense, it
is important to apply in the training of runners’ intensities and terrain
variations (floor and altimetry) to promote continuous stimuli throughout the
sporting life," explains educator Leonardo.
7. Improves Blood Pressure
"Improved vascular compliance, capillary vasodilation,
increased capillaries, decreased LDL, increased HDL, decreased Adipocytokines
released by white adipose tissue (increased inflammation in the body) and
balanced process of blood pressure regulators are optimized with street running
training," says Leonardo.
8. Helps You Sleep Better
Running is an activity that has a significant caloric
expenditure, and this can be a factor that will help you have a better night's
sleep. "Because we are doing a high-intensity activity, and due to the effort,
that our body undergoes, we tend to sleep better. This means that we can get a better-quality
night's sleep. However, it varies from person to person," Aizenas points
out.
"Many people manage to relax after physical activity, but
others are more energized and accelerated, making it difficult to sleep. It is
important to find the best time of day for these activities, respecting your
body, your individuality, and your biological clock," he adds.
How to Start Running
Activities that complement running:
- Weight training
- Functional training
- Pilates
- Yoga
If I run, I do not need to do weight training anymore. Wrong! That is why Mario Sergio brings the above options for runners and non-runners. "Every runner, or rather, every person should do strength work. The important thing is to understand that we should stay strong; after all, we start losing muscle mass and strength from the age of 30," Mario Sergio points out. Although running is an activity that strengthens the muscles, the impacts and the wear and tear caused by the sport end up being more significant than the strengthening that it provides alone - that is why strength work is essential to avoid injuries.
Beware Of "Addiction" To Running
Endorphin is beneficial and works as a natural anesthetic, decreasing pain after a specific load of exercise. "In this sense, running comes to be considered as a tool to optimize the addiction to such a described sensation. Which is great as long as you have a proper balance of training volume," says Leonardo.
He also says that "it is widespread, due to
improvements in the cardiovascular system and added to the increases in
endorphin, that the runner begins to increase the duration and frequency of
training sessions. Moreover, this may bring a mechanical overload, increased
oxidative stress, and impact the immune system. In other words, factors that
can generate injuries and diseases.
"Everything in excess is bad for you, and running is
unforgiving for those who think they can run more and more without worrying
about following a proper workout. Running is very good, healthy, besides
helping make friends, but since it is an impact sport, one must be very careful
with training and loads. Otherwise, one can pay a high price by getting injured
or even having to stop the activity altogether," reinforces Mario Sergio.
Main Running Injuries
"The most common injuries are joint injuries, such as the
knee, hip, ankle, and spine injuries, not to mention muscular injuries, such as
sprains and contractures (simpler ones)," says Mario Sergio.
He points out that the most straightforward injuries often occur
due to effort and are part of every sport. On the other hand, articular
injuries usually happen because of an imbalance between the cardiovascular and
the musculoskeletal components; that is, as the heart is conditioned before the
body, this imbalance causes amateur runners to get injured more often.
Tips to Prevent Running Injuries
- Train correctly (follow an orientation compatible with your level)
- Do at least two strength-training sessions a week
- Run with the best possible weight to reduce the risk of injury
Running During Pregnancy
Many people still think that pregnant women cannot exercise, but this is a myth: "Pregnant women can always run when they have a sports history, so they cannot be beginners in running who want to start training during pregnancy, but those who have already been keeping a constant training rhythm can run more lightly (without great effort)," says Mario Sergio.
When you jump to perform the running movement, your body weight multiplies, becoming up to twice as heavy, all on your knees.
Contraindications
Almost everyone can run, according to Mario Sergio. "The
contraindications are for those who are overweight and obese because walking is
more indicated at this time. People with a history of chronic injuries should
talk to their doctor and physiotherapist to find out if it is the best activity
and some types of more severe diabetes are also not very indicated," he
says.
However, in general, running is a democratic and natural
activity, "after all; first, we crawl, then we walk, and then we run.
"We just need always to use parsimony to achieve the best effects and remember that those who want quick results are not starting right because the change to be physically active should be gradual and for life," he concludes.